


The Search

by Peppermint_YGO (Peppermint_Shamrock)



Series: Refraction [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: F/F, Grief/Mourning, conflicted feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 20:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11470689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peppermint_Shamrock/pseuds/Peppermint_YGO
Summary: Masumi, much to her annoyance, has been saved by Ray from the storm.Sequel to Winter Storm. Written for Arc V rarepair week Day 3 prompt: Winter





	The Search

Masumi couldn’t think of much worse situations to be in than to be injured, in a blizzard, with the person she despised most in the world bringing her to safety. Even not getting to safety at all was a preferable option in her mind. But Ray had guilted her into accepting help. Goddammit, that woman had no right to bring Yuzu into this! But she had, and now Masumi was indebted to Yuzu’s murderer.

She almost regretted going out at all today. _Almost_. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Sawatari _did_ have potentially useful information – although why the rich boy insisted upon meeting in an abandoned warehouse instead of more reasonable places was beyond her. As the mayor’s son, he ought to have access to any place he wanted.

Time travel. Was such a thing really possible? Was LDS really working on that in secret? It sounded too good to be true – if it really worked, it would be exactly the answer she and Kurosaki had been searching for. They could stop everything that had happened. They could bring back Yuzu and Kurosaki’s sister.

What dreadful irony that she was walking with someone who might very well know the truth of LDS’s secret projects, but who Masumi could never ask or else risk revealing her intentions. After all, by bringing back Yuzu, Ray would be destroyed. Not that Masumi cared if Ray knew Masumi hated her and would gladly see her destroyed to save Yuzu – but if Ray knew, she would obviously try to stop it, trying to preserve herself. She could probably do it, too, with the resources of LDS behind her, and the favor she had with people as the “savior”. All Ray had to do was insist that destroying her would let the demon win, and Masumi would have nothing.

No…Masumi would have to do the digging on her own. Well, Kurosaki might help – but he also might dismiss the whole idea as fanciful nonsense. It would be better if she had more than rumors from the mouth of Sawatari before bringing up the idea with him.

Fortunately, it appeared Ray was taking her to the place where she could find answers – LDS.

“We’re…almost there. Then we can get you some help,” Ray said. Masumi only grunted, not wanted to be any more indebted than she already was. And she hated the sense of relief she had at the thought of getting out of the cold and snow and wind, to warm up and not feel like her face was going numb.

The blast of heated air as they pushed through the door was far better than even Masumi’s anticipation of it. Gradually, as Ray pulled her across the building into some lounge room, Masumi felt feeling return to her face, her fingers began to burn, and, no longer numb from the cold, she could really start to feel the pain of her injury.

“Here…stay here. Try not to move too much. I’ll…I’ll go find someone – get help. Oh, it looks even worse now…” Ray said fretfully, before running off, probably to do as she said. It was annoying, how helpful Ray was being. Masumi would prefer if Ray just abandoned her there, it was harder to hate someone who was concerned with your wellbeing. It also didn’t help that Ray was very beautiful, as well. Masumi wondered if Yuzu also might have grown up to look like that, had she had the chance.

But even that thought didn’t make it any easier to hate Ray.

 _Right. Well I’m not going to waste my chance. ‘Stay here’…I don’t have to listen to_ her _, of all people._

Masumi brushed away her hair, dripping from melting snow, and got up from the couch. She ignored the sharp pain from putting pressure on the injured leg, and hobbled out of the room.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have much of an idea of where to go. LDS had R&D labs somewhere, but exactly where in the building (if they were in the building), she didn’t know. And would something as outlandish as time travel really be tested in a regular R&D lab? Still, it was her best bet. And at least LDS was deserted because of the storm – she had time to wander around. And it would take Ray a while to find some help.

.

.

.

“LDS sure doesn’t make their labs easy to find,” Masumi muttered to herself, although she could barely hear her own voice, back outside in the storm. The pain in her leg was becoming nearly unbearable, but she was too stubborn to give up. There had to be the outside entrance somewhere around here…

_Masumi!_

The wind seemed to call her name, urging her to turn back. She ignored it.

_Masumi! Are you out here?_

No, that wasn’t the wind, that was…

“No, not you already…” Masumi groaned as she recognized Ray’s voice.

“Masumi!”

“Ugh…” Masumi spun around to shout at Ray to leave her alone, but the pain spiked and her leg gave way. Ray caught her just before she hit ground. Masumi flushed, feeling the heat in her cheeks despite the cold.

“What are you doing out here? You can’t go off home yet, we need to deal with that injury – you should have stayed put!”

“Leave…leave me alone,” Masumi stammered, too flustered and embarrassed to put her usual force into it. “I let you help me already, that’s enough. You’ve…you’ve got no reason to care what happens to me. Stop trying to be a savior – I’m sick of it.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. But I’ve already told you I can’t change anything, but I can help you. I just want to help people, is that so wrong? I know I’m not Yuzu, but I’m sure some of her feelings carry through…”

Masumi roughly shoved away from Ray, furious that once again she’d had the gall to bring Yuzu into this.

“SHUT UP. Just STOP IT!”

“I don’t want to cause you pain like this. Please! I just want to help you…”

“WILL YOU JUST LET ME HATE YOU?!?”

Masumi’s scream rang in the air, as Ray, and even the wind, fell completely silent. After a long moment, Ray finally spoke.

“I don’t want you to hate me,” Ray said quietly. “I understand if you do, of course, but…I don’t want you to. I don’t want you to suffer.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know how to feel about this, about you, anymore.”

The snow fell lightly around them. Masumi felt choked up. She shouldn’t be opening herself up like this, not to her, not to Ray…but…

“I just…want Yuzu back.”

“I can’t bring her back.”

“If you could…if there was a way…to turn back time…would you do it?” Masumi asked. She cursed herself inwardly, but as long as she didn’t outright reveal her intentions… Still, it was a stupid question, of course Ray wouldn’t…

“Yes.”

“What?” She hadn’t expected that answer.

“I’ve hurt a lot of people. Those eight lives – my pieces and Zarc’s – they meant a lot to people. You…bring that home. If I could change things…even at the cost of myself, I would do it.”

Masumi was stunned. She had never expected that kind of answer. Was Ray telling the truth? She seemed sincere, but Masumi couldn’t trust her, right?

Had Masumi found another ally to bring back Yuzu…in Ray?

 

 


End file.
